OUT AND ABOUT
Insatiable by Article and photos by Celeste McCall was the equally daunting Alaska king crab legs, offered at market price. Instead, we settled for a pair of appetizers: jumbo lump crab cake with dilled tartar sauce, almost pure crab with no filling. Beautifully presented salt and pepper calamari—escorted by Vietnamese chili sauce and a mustard dip--was deliciously crunchy. The dish could have fed three or more. A nice intermezzo was our shared wedge salad, sprinkled with bacon, cherry tomatoes, and lots of bleu cheese. Then we shared the pan-seared scallops; the quintet of Glittering chandeliers dominate the elegant dining area at Truluck’s, the upscale seafood velvety textured mollusks was ringed restaurant in Mount Vernon Square. with golden beet pesto and drizzled with emerald green herbed oil. Another s Washington emerges from pandemic entrée option was roasted whole Mediterranean doldrums, Mount Vernon Square welcomes branzino with lemon, olives and taramasalata Truluck’s, the first Washington offshoot of (Greek fish roe dip). a high-end Houston-based national group. We also passed over the broiled 16-ounce prime You’ll find the classy newcomer at 700 K New York strip and had to skip generous sides St. NW, where we enjoyed a sneak preview. On a including lobster mashed potatoes and crab-fried Thursday evening, the restaurant was humming. As rice. We actually considered filet mignon crowned we arrived, we were led up a sweeping, red patterned with that divine lobster; next time. We also had to carpeted staircase. Chandeliers glittered overhead as pass on dessert: a huge wedge of carrot cake, key we sank into our horseshoe-shaped maroon booth. lime pie, or fresh berries. Our attentive server, Rafael Truluck’s is definitely Llanos, offered us citrus a special occasion place, slices for our water. Nice, if complete with live piano a slightly pretentious, touch. music nightly. As we sipped Cloudy Dinner for two with Bay Marlborough (New wine can exceed $200. Zealand) Sauvignon Blanc Truluck’s is open daily; and a subline Albarino call 202-898-0680 or visit from the awesome wine www.trulucks.com. and cocktail list, we snacked on freshly baked parmesan rolls. The bread was warm Buttery Breakfast Fare and inviting, but we should Andre McCain, founder have left more space for and CEO of Shaw’s executive chef Laurence HalfSmoke and Butter Cohen’s incredible creations. Me Up, is unveiling his That night’s specialty next bricks-and-mortar was a huge South African enterprise in Logan lobster tail, priced at $95. Circle. McCain opened We were tempted, but his Butter Me Up popwould have needed several up in May 2020 to help friends to help us consume meet the demand for At Truluck’s, server Rafael Llanos displays an enormous South the thing. Another option neighborhood breakfast African lobster tail and huge Alaska king crab legs.
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Shaw’s lively breakfast pop-up, Butter Me Up, offers tasty scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and more.
options. So far, the Shaw pop-up has sold more than 72,000 breakfast sandwiches. “We launched Butter Me Up at the beginning of the pandemic when morale was down and restaurants were forced to close for dining,” said McCain. “Now, a year later….this new location will also allow us to continue to grow and expand offerings at Butter Me Up and HalfSmoke.” Look for his bricks-and-mortar restaurant at 1409 T St. NW later this month. The menu will feature the Shaw pop-up dishes, along with Greek yogurt and granola; chicken & waffles; shrimp & grits; breakfast tacos; fried Oreo (or red velvet) pancakes; mac-and-cheese. To drink: fresh fruit juices, farm-to-cup coffee from Buna Coffeehouse and teas from Calabash Tea & Tonic. Both purveyors are local. Headier libations include Mimosas, Bloody Marys and other cocktails, beer and wine. Meanwhile, located at 651 Florida Ave, NW, pop-up Butter Me Up is open for carryout and delivery daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For additional information or to place an order, call 202-9862127 or visit GrubHub: https://www.grubhub. com, Postmates: https://postmates.com, UberEats: https://www.ubereats.com, or DoorDash: https:// www.doordash.com
Blagden Alley Blather
Shhhh! Don’t tell anybody, but Washington now has a speakeasy. Never Looked Better, a stunning
